Welcome to Bournewood Hospital. If you are a patient or a family member of someone who is participating in one of our programs, here is some information that may be helpful to you:
Bournewood Hospital is a full-service, independent psychiatric hospital that serves patients of all ages, all ethnic and socio-economic groups and all diagnostic categories with a range of inpatient, outpatient, day and evening programs and residential services. We also tailor our services for adults, children and adolescents.
All of our programs are designed to provide a nurturing and supportive environment. To this end, our highly-trained staff is committed to providing personalized care and support for patients as they move along the treatment spectrum.
Here are some important facts for our patients and their families about what they can expect during their stay at our facility.
Providing Safe, Effective Care
Safety is a primary aspect of care at Bournewood Hospital and we actively encourage patients to participate in helping us meet this goal. We welcome any ideas or suggestions to help us improve the safety of our programs. We also welcome input from family members. We invite them to contact us with any suggestions or concerns to help us to continue to provide the highest level of safe care.
Patient Rights
We follow the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health´s five fundamental rights for all patients unless there are compelling reasons to restrict these rights as determined by the attending physician. The five fundamental rights address issues regarding: 1.) access to the telephone to make and private calls; 2.) ability to receive and send mail and have the writing materials and postage to do so; 3.) access to choose and receive visitors at reasonable times; 4.) and to receive or refuse visits from clergy, attorneys and therapists; 5.) the right to a humane psychological and physiological treatment environment. We support these rights, as well as other rights identified by DMH and the federal government´s Consumer Bill of Rights. We also support the patient´s responsibility for seeking and accepting care that is defined in the federal Consumer Bill or Rights and Responsibilities available at http://www.hcqualitycommission.gov/. We welcome and actively seek patient and family feedback regarding safety issues, suggestions, concerns or ideas. You can contact Raymond Robinson, MBA, President of Bournewood Health Systems, at (617) 469-0300 ext. 309 or email RRobinson@bournewood.com or call our Human Rights Officer at (617) 469-0300 ext. 657.
The Role of Families
Our staff works hard to involve family and friends in developing an appropriate treatment plan for patients whenever possible. We understand that these loved ones often provide crucial support to our patients and also offer important insight into the patients´ behaviors. In return, our clinical staff provides families with help, support and education through meetings, formal group sessions and informal discussions.
Program Expectations
In order to maintain a safe environment, we have certain expectations in place. Part of the responsibility of being a patient is to respect these policies and adhere to them throughout their stay. These include the following:
- Bournewood Hospital is a smoke-free facility and smoking is allowed only in designated outdoor areas.
- Patients may take only medications prescribed by a Bournewood physician or other prescribing clinician while on our campus. The possession and use of alcohol or any other drugs, including non-prescribed medication or contraband substances is prohibited.
- Physical or sexual activity between patients is not allowed.
- Attendance in groups is mandatory.
- Random urine screens are initiated at the discretion of staff.
- The use of cell phones is prohibited. We also discourage visitors from using these devices here, especially those with photo capability, to ensure privacy of all our patients.
- All valuables should be left at home, as we cannot be responsible for their safekeeping.
- Physical or verbal threats or acts of violence towards other patients, visitors or staff members will not be tolerated.
Patients who do not adhere to these policies may be assessed for administrative discharge from our program. The decision to discharge a patient will be made by the treatment team in conjunction with the attending psychiatrist. Patients who do not agree with a decision related to discharge may appeal the decision by asking to speak with the Medical Director. Patients who are unwilling to accept what the team considers essential treatment recommendations or who seem unlikely to benefit from the treatment offered in the program may also be discharged. Further, any patient who engages in verbal threats or physical contact may require assessment for immediate discharge.
What Patients Should Bring
We suggest that patients bring three days´ worth of comfortable clothing with them when they come to our facility. Coats and other outdoor clothing and accessories appropriate for the season are also recommended. Patients who are able are welcome to do their laundry during their stay here.
Guidelines for Calling Patients
Phone calls to patients may be received on the pay phones in their designated units until 10 p.m. every day. We ask that calls be limited to 10 minutes as a courtesy to other patients. Please note that cell phones are not permitted on our units. Staff can assist patients who may not have funds for phone calls by offering the use of a unit phone. The phone numbers for unit pay phones are as follows:
- Dodge I: 617-323-9594/617-323-9019
- Dodge II: 617-323-9604/617-323-9046
- Emerson I: 617-323-9133/617-323-9025
- Emerson II: 617-323-9341
- Stedman Intensive Treatment Unit: 617-323-9092
- Patients in the Ambulatory and Dual Diagnosis Acute Residential Treatment programs can be reached at 617-469-0300 ext. 433.
Visitor Information
Visitors are welcome during scheduled preferred hours, which vary by program. See the list below. If these times do not work for you, please contact any member of the patient´s treatment team to discuss a more convenient time for a visit. We wish to balance patient treatment with the right to have visitors to ensure that treatment goals are achieved. All visitors must check in with the receptionist when they arrive on our campus. We encourage children under the age of 16 to be accompanied by an adult and to receive approval from our staff. Visits by members of the clergy, attorneys, legal advocates are also encouraged and may occur at any reasonable time per patient request. It is important to note that any packages or bags that are brought in will be searched by our staff to maintain our safety standards. In addition, due to privacy laws, we are unable to confirm or deny a person´s presence at our facility.
- Dodge and Stedman House: Mon. to Fri. 6-8 p.m./Weekends & Holidays 2-8 p.m.
- Emerson I: Mon. to Fri. 6-7 p.m./Weekends & Holidays 4-6 p.m.
- Emerson II: Tues. & Sun 6-7 p.m.
Patient Discharge and Transportation
Patients being discharged may be picked up by 11 a.m. on the day of release in most cases. Any patient who requires an earlier discharge time can arrange this with the treatment team. We also offer transportation for patients on a scheduled basis to and from the Forest Hills Train Station on the Orange Line and Cleveland Circle on the Green Line. Other arrangements can also be made on an individual basis. No patient cars are allowed overnight on our campus.
The Importance of Aftercare
We strongly encourage patients to have an effective support system in place when they are discharged from a stay in one of our programs. Our staff will coordinate continued treatment with their outpatient providers whenever possible and they will encourage them to connect with appropriate community resources as part of their aftercare plan.
For More Information:
Patients have the right to express their concerns about any safety or medical issues. We encourage them to contact us if they have any issues they would like to discuss. In such a case, they can call (617) 469-0300 and ask to speak to the Human Rights Officer or leave a message for her at extension 657. Patients may also speak with any member of their treatment team.
People with additional concerns or who find this avenue unsatisfactory may bring these concerns to the attention of the Department of Mental Health at dmhinfo@dmh.state.ma.us or the Joint Commission at complaint@jointcommission.org or call the Joint Commission at (800) 994-6610 or the Department of Public Health by phone: (800) 327-5050.
